A Shot In The Dark
by laoisbabe
Summary: A missing child, Jack & Martin out of their comfort zone. Fate takes over. Can they make it?


Title: A Shot in The Dark

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to Without a Trace, its characters or episodes. Just a fan of all of the above.

Note from author: This is my first ever fan fiction. Would like to get some feedback. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

St. Marys Elementary School, New York City 

Special Agent Jack Malone and Special Agent Vivienne Johnson arrive at St. Mary's Elementary School. They're responding to a call regarding a 7 year old girl, Laura Jacobs, who vanished from the grounds, after leaving the school building shortly after 3pm. They enter the school and approach a number of ladies who have gathered in the corridor. They look for directions to the office of the school principal, Sr. Carmel. They follow the directions and soon find the office. They knock and are invited to enter.

"Jack Malone, FBI. This is Special Agent Johnson. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the child's disappearance." Jack begins.

"Please sit down" Sr. Carmel directs the agents to two vacant chairs. She is about 60 years old with a kind face, her head covered by a black veil. "This is Stacey Jacobs, Laura's mother" she gestures towards the puffy eyed, young mother sitting across from her.

"Have you heard anything, where is she?" pleads the desperate woman.

Jack sizes up the young woman. She's approximately 35 years old, pretty, well dressed, a professional of some sort.

"I'm sorry," he tells her " we've no news as yet. We'll need to ask you some questions, some may be uncomfortable for you. Firstly, is there anything troubling Laura, bullying, trouble at home, anything that might cause her to run away?"

"I don't think so. She's usually a happy little thing" the mother answers.

"Any problems in school Sister?" Jack asks the nun behind the desk.

"None at all. She's a really bright and well-adjusted little girl. Teachers love her, classmates love her," she answers.

"Can you think of anyone else who might have picked up your daughter, friends, relatives?" Jack asks.

"No. I've called around everyone I know. No one's seen her." Stacey replies.

Just then there's a knock on the door. It's one of the uniformed policemen. He asks Jack to step outside for a moment.

"This lady may have seen something," he tells him.

Jack asks Vivienne to talk to the woman. She asks her to describe what she saw.

"I'm not sure, it might not even be the child you're looking for. I'm a cleaner here and I was cleaning the second floor windows when the school bell rang. I noticed this man near the gate. He looked nervous, paced up and down for a while. He was watching the cars pulling up. When the bell rang he came in through the gate and stood just inside the pillar. Then I saw him leaving, holding a little girl's hand. She wasn't struggling or anything. She seemed to know him"

"Had you ever seen him before?" Viv asks.

"No. I don't think so"

"Do you think you'd recognise him again if you saw him?" Viv enquires.

"I think so."

"OK, we might get you to look at some pictures for us" Viv tells her.

Vivienne returns to the principal's office and relays what the cleaner saw. She describes the person to the mother.

"Oh my God. It sounds like Tom" she blurts out.

"Tom?" Jack asks.

"My ex-husband. We divorced a year ago. I got sole custody. He didn't even get visitation rights because of his problems." Stacey tells them.

"What sort of problems?" Viv asks.

"Drinking, gambling…you name it. Not the best role model for a little girl." she tells her.

"We'll look into it. If he has her, is he likely to harm her?" Jack enquires.

"I doubt it. He loves her. He was distraught at losing her. He's just a little unpredictable sometimes," she answers.

"We'll be in touch," Jack says as he gets up to leave.

He and Viv head back to the office.

When they get there, Danny & Martin are running the usual checks into the family background. The mother is pretty stable financially, working in advertising. The father on the other hand, is pretty much broke, has a string of minor offences, been out of work for the past 2 years, with a last known address in Boulder, Colorado. They made several attempts to reach him but all failed. Landlord said he'd moved out 4 months ago and left no forwarding address.

When Jack and Viv return, they hold a brainstorming session with the rest of the group. Each updates the others on any progress they've made.

"The cleaner I.D.'d Tom Jacobs as the man she saw outside the school" Sam announces as she joins the group. She passes around a copy of his DMV photo.

"Simple snatch, by the looks of it. Should we hand it over to the local boys?" Danny asks.

"Not yet" Jack replies "We still don't know where he's taken her. Find out all you can about the father's family, friends in Boulder. He has to be staying somewhere".

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of hours later Danny tells the team that Tom Jacobs is still living in Boulder but hasn't been seen for about a week. Local sheriff's been up to a cabin, which was once his father's. There was no sign of life there. They work through the night, following up every little piece of information they receive.

Next morning, they get a call from the Boulder Sheriff's Office, to say that Tom Jacob's pick up was spotted driving through town in the early hours.

Jack decides that they need to go to Boulder to follow up the lead.

"Martin, you're with me. Sam, Danny, you update the child's mother. Viv, you hold the fort," Jack orders as he heads for his office.

Within 2 hours he and Martin are at the airport. The next flight isn't until later that evening. They've no choice but to wait.

By the time they land in Boulder, it's late and the weather has closed in. Snow is falling heavily and they rub their hands together, as they wait to be picked up. Sheriff John McKenzie pulls up in a black SUV and they gladly climb in. They exchange small talk and then get down to the business at hand.

"So, is it possible this guy's been staying at the cabin? Have the neighbours seen any activity?" Martin asks.

"Neighbours?" McKenzie laughs, " the nearest neighbour is about 4kms away. Your not in Manhattan anymore".

"Right" an embarrassed Martin acknowledges.

Jack cannot help but smile to himself. He's eager to impress, Jack likes the young agent, no matter how green he was.

"Any chance of getting there before dark?" Jack asks.

"If the roads not too bad, we'll try. We could go straight from here. It's about 15kms north of town. Rough terrain, have you guys brought any hiking boots or heavy coats?" he enquires.

"No. We left in a hurry" Martin answers.

"OK. We'll swing by the station and get some wet weather gear and head up there then"

They get what they need at the station. Jack and Martin grab some coffee and bagels and then head back out in the cold. The drive is slow and tedious. Finally the jeep comes to a halt. It's dark when they arrive.

"Is this it?" Martin asks. "Where's the cabin?"

"About 2 kms that direction" McKenzie points "Now you see why I insisted you get kitted out properly.

"Great, a hike in the snow. You up for it Jack?" Martin sneers.

"Lead the way, Hotshot" Malone replies as he zips up his rain jacket.

They trudge through the forest, following a narrow trail. The Sheriff leads the way confidently. Martin follows steadily. He's used to hiking and climbing. He spends a lot of his spare time in the outdoors.

Jack struggles to keep pace with the others. The cold aggravates his bad knee and he stops several times to rub it, to try and reduce the discomfort. Eventually, the Sheriff slows and waits for the other two.

"The cabins in that clearing" he tells them as he shines his torch towards a clearing ahead. "What way do you want to do it?"

Before Jack has time to answer, a dog begins to back. The barking is continuous.

"Shit" Jack whispers under his breath.

The cabin door opens and Tom Jacobs comes out bearing a hunting rifle.

"Who's there? Get outta here or I'll shoot." he shouts into the night.

"Its Sheriff McKenzie, Tom. I've got 2 FBI Agents with me. They're looking for your daughter, she's missing," he shouts back.

"She's not missing. She's here with me and she's fine," Jacobs yells back.

"They need to see her, Tom. Make sure she's OK" McKenzie tells him.

"Of course she's OK. She sleeping. Don't come near us OK. She's not going back with them. I'm not stupid, I know they've come to take her back. She's staying here, now get the hell out of here" he shouts before he discharges two shots into the trees.

The three men hit the ground. They get back to their feet and start brushing themselves down. Its then Martin looks over to Jack. He's still on his knees and clutching his mid-rift. Something's wrong. Martin's heart sinks.

"Jack, you OK?" he asks, fearing the answer. "Jack, are you hit?"

Jack's unable to answer. He looks up into Martin's eyes. Martin sees the fear. He then looks down at the blood on his hands.

"Jesus Jack, take it easy" Martin tells him as he helps him to sit up. He leans against a tree, still clutching his stomach.

" Martin, go get the suspect. Go, I'll be OK" Jack manages to tell Martin.

"But Jack, I can't…"

Jack looks hard at Martin. "Go….Now!!"

Martin and McKenzie leave the stricken agent and approach the cabin with weapons drawn.

As they approach the door Martin shouts "Jacobs, come out with your hands up"

No answer.

"Tom, we don't want to come in with guns blazing and frighten Laura. Put your weapon down and open the door slowly," Martin pleads.

The door begins to open. Martin bursts through and swiftly punches Jacobs in the face.

"You bastard. You shot him, I'll kill you" he shouts.

"I didn't shoot anyone. What's he talking about" he asks McKenzie as he struggles to his feet, cupping his bleeding nose.

"There's a FBI agent wounded in the trees. You hit him when you fired at us" McKenzie tells him, as he cuffs him.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shoot anyone. I couldn't even see where you were. I was just trying to scare you off" he rambles.

Just then a sleepy little girl comes out of one of the rooms.

"What's happening Daddy?" she asks.

"It's OK, baby. Go back to sleep" he tells her. The little girl does as she's told.

Meanwhile, Jack's is struggling to stay conscious in the woods. If he tries to move, a searing pain cuts through him. He can feel the warmth of his blood against his freezing hands. He can't stop shaking. Is it the cold or is it the shock, he wonders. He looks up through the trees towards the night sky. Large flakes of snow are raining down on him. This is bad, he realises.

Reality is sinking in. The seriousness of his situation hits him. Here he is, in the middle of nowhere, in a snow storm, pitch dark and bleeding profusely. He lays his head back against the tree trunk and reaches into his jacket for his cell phone. Typical! No signal. He gulps the night air as a wave of nausea hits him. He's tired. He really wants to close his eyes, but he knows he has to try and stay awake.

Just then he hears rustling in the trees ahead of him. He hears a voice calling his name.

"Jack, can you hear me? Where are you?" It's Martin.

"Here, I'm here" Jack croaks.

Martin kneels down to him. "How you doing, boss?" he asks.

"Been better" comes the reply.

"I'm gonna get you into the cabin. Do you think you can stand?" Martin asks the wounded man.

"Not sure" comes the reply.

Martin puts Jacks arm around his shoulder and lifts him up.

"Come on, Jack. I got you"

Jack roars in agony. He tries to take some steps but the feeling has gone from his legs. Martin ends up dragging him to the cabin. McKenzie comes out to help him up the steps. They get Jack to the empty bed in the main bedroom. By the time they lay him on the bed, Jack has passed out.

Martin begins to panic "Jack, wake up Jack. Come on, don't die on me"

McKenzie tries to calm him. "He's just passed out. Probably from the exertion. Put pressure on that wound. We need to slow the bleeding, if he's to have any chance."

"We need to get him to a hospital" Martin snaps. "I can't get a signal on my cell. We need to get a chopper up here now".

"No chopper will get off the ground in this weather, kid. I can make it back to the jeep and radio for help. More than likely they still won't make it up here til morning" the sheriff tells him.

"Morning? He'll be dead in the morning. I can carry him to the car and we can drive him to town" Martin suggests.

"Moving him will only speed up the bleeding. And we don't know if the road is still passable. He'll be dead before we get to the jeep. No, you stay with him, keep pressure on the wound. Try and get some fluids into him if you can. I'll be as quick as I can." McKenzie promises.

He pulls on his coat and heads out into the night.

---------------------------

Martin can't believe what's happened. He paces the living area of the cabin and stops only to glare at Jacobs. He's sitting uncomfortably in an armchair, unable to look at the young agent.

Martin marches up to Jacobs and puts his face right up to Jacobs.

"This is all your fault. If he dies……." Martin cannot finish the sentence and turns away.

"I swear, if I could take it back I would. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to keep my daughter. I couldn't cope if you took her. Have you kids? Do you know what I mean?" Jacobs asks.

" No, I don't have kids….but he does. Two girls. Do you want to be the one to tell them you killed their Dad? Could you look them in the eye? You bastard!" Martin shoves him and storms back towards the room where Jack is.

"I'm sorry" Jacob says pathetically.

Martin sits with Jack. He starts to moan and come round.

"Martin," Jack mumbles.

"I'm here Jack. Try and drink this." Martin raises Malone's head and he manages a sip of water. Martin tells him that McKenzie's gone to get help.

Jack shivers. "Cold" he says.

Martin grabs a sleeping bag.

"Just let me check your wound, Jack." Martin removes the make shift bandage very gently. Jack is still bleeding, but not as heavily. He re-bandages the wound with fresh bandage and uses Jack's belt to keep pressure on it. When he looks back up, Jack is unconscious again.

Sheriff McKenzie makes the arduous journey back to the SUV. When he finally reaches it he sits in and starts the engine. He turns the heating on to full blast and then reaches for the radio.

"McKenzie to base. Do you copy? Over"

"Is that you John? We've been trying to raise you for the last hour" comes the reply.

"Long story. I'm up at the Jacob's cabin. We need a chopper up here. One of the FBI agents has been shot. He's in a bad way. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP" he tells them.

"In this weather, I doubt they'll go up but I'll put in the request" the operator answers.

"How long do they think this weather'll last" McKenzie asks.

"They expect it to clear by early morning," comes the reply.

"I doubt this guy can make it to morning" McKenzie informs him.

"I'll see what I can do. Stand by".

The sheriff sits and waits anxiously for the operator to get back to him.

Back at the cabin, Martin jumps when his cell phone rings. He answers its quickly.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you for ages" Its Viv.

"Thank God. There's been no coverage up here. Listen, you need to arrange an evacuation out of here now" Martin informs her.

"What? Martin, slow down. Where are you?" Viv asks.

"At Jacob's cabin, outside Boulder. Jack's been shot and we're stranded in a snow storm. We need to get him to a hospital" Matins tells her.

""How bad is it?" Viv asks.

"He's hit in the stomach. I haven't been able to stop the bleeding. He's in and out of consciousness. Its not good." Martin explains.

"Ok Martin. Try and keep calm. I'll call the local rescue services. Martin! Martin! Are you there? Martin!"

"Viv! Can you hear me Viv?" Martin shouts down the phone. "Damn it" no signal again, and he throws the phone in frustration.

Jacobs looks up. The young agent looks worn out and drained.

"You want a drink or something to eat?" Jacobs asks.

"What? No. No, I'm not hungry" Martin replies, looking at Jacobs as if he'd two heads.

Jacobs goes to the kitchen anyway and brings the young agent a coffee.

Martin takes the coffee back into the room where Jack is lying. He watches his friend closely. He notices how shallow his breathing has become. He wonders what's keeping McKenzie. Did he even make it to the SUV? He's been gone over two hours now.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, a cold and wet sheriff bursts through the door.

"Damn, it's freezing out there" he hollers as he comes in.

"Are they with you?" Martin asks "Where the hells the medics?"

"We have to sit it out until morning" the sheriff tells him.

"No, damn it. He won't make it till then" Martin shouts.

"Its out of our control. First light, mountain rescue will take him to the nearest clearing so he can be airlifted out of here. How is he?" McKenzie enquires.

"How the hell do you think he is? He's dying in there and I can't do anything to help him. He doesn't deserve this" Martins emotions get the better of him and he breaks down.

"Look kid, your boss is fightin' this. He's made it this far. We just have to pray he can keep fighting for another few hours" McKenzie puts his hand on Martin's shoulder and then walks by to check on Jack for himself.

"Take those blankets off him. He's burning up," he notices straight away.

"He was freezing earlier," Martin tells him.

"Get some cold cloths. He's got a fever now. We need to bring his temperature down fast."

Martin does as he's asked. He places the cold towel on the forehead of the feverish agent. The sheriff strips back the bed clothes. Jack starts to mumble incoherently, as if he's dreaming. Martin, not for the first time this evening is scared. Scared for himself and scared for his friend.

**F.B.I. Headquarters – Manhattan**

Vivienne is relaying the phone conversation she had with Martin to Danny and Samantha.

"Jesus, how badly hurt is he?" Sam asks anxiously.

"Martin sounded really upset. He said he couldn't stop the bleeding. That's all I know" Viv tells her.

"Did you get hold of the local rescue services?" Danny wonders.

"Eventually, but they knew already. Seems like the sheriff was able to radio a message to his station. The only problem is there's a bad snow storm up there and they can't risk a rescue until morning, when the storm is expected to die down" Viv explains.

"That could be too late" Sam says what everyone else is thinking. "Surely they can get someone out there".

"It's pretty remote, from what I'm told, and the terrains is rough. We just have to pray its not too late" Viv sighs.

Jacobs Cabin 

Martin wakes with a start. Was he dreaming? The he sees the motionless figure lying in the bed across from him and realises it's all too real. He's annoyed with himself for falling asleep. He looks back at Jack. He goes in close to check if he's breathing. He is….barely.

Its morning, he realises. He looks out the window. The snow has stopped. Just then he hears a sound outside. It sounds like a motorcycle. He goes to the front door and sees a skidoo pulling up outside. McKenzie is out there directing the rider in towards the cabin.

"He's in there" he directs the rider toward the room where Jack is.

Martin looks on curiously.

"He's a paramedic," the sheriff tell him, as the young man begins to examine the injured man.

He reaches into his bag and pulls out some saline. He hands the bag to Martin and says "Here, hold this up" as he start an IV into Jack's arm.

"This wound looks infected. His BP is dangerously low. We need to replace some of the fluids he's lost before we attempt to move him. We'll push the saline and then hand a unit of O neg. Hopefully after that, we should be able to move him," he tells the other men as he places an oxygen mask over Jacks nose and mouth.

They wait as the fluids flow into Jack. Martin just wants them to get him out of there. He's anxious and scared.

"I'll be able to transport one of you along with Jack, to the landing site" the EMT informs them.

"You go with him" McKenzie instructs Martin "I'll bring them back to town". He nods towards Jacobs and Laura. All the activity had woken the child and she was sitting by the fire with her Dad, wondering what all the commotion is about.

Eventually, the EMT and Martin, lift Jack onto the stretcher. The wrap him in a thermal sleeping bag to protect him from the elements. Jacobs, McKenzie, Martin and the EMT carefully carry him from the cabin and place him onto a sledge, attached behind the skidoo. Jack remains unconscious throughout.

Martin climbs on behind the paramedic, who radio's ahead and lets them know his estimated time of arrival to the pick up site.

After a 20 minute ride, they reach a large clearing. Shortly after their arrival, Martin hears the rotors of the helicopter. Relief overwhelms him.

"Nearly there, Jack" he tells his injured friend.

They are quickly loaded onto the chopper and take off for Boulder Mercy Hospital. The flight takes just 15 minutes. They are met by an Emergency Team who whisk Jack away. Martin follows anxiously, as a barrage of orders and information flood the tiny E.R. They work feverishly on Jack for about 20 minutes and then he's on the move again.

"Where are they taking him?" Martin asks one of the doctors.

"He's on his way to the OR. You can follow us up and wait for any news, if you like" is the reply.

Martin follows the gurney, taking Jack to the elevator. He finds a waiting area near the Operating Rooms and takes a seat. Only then does he think to call the office.

Viv answers.

"How is he, Martin?" she asks straight away.

"I don't know. Not too good. They're operating on him now." he tells her. "I really thought he was going to die in that cabin, Viv." Martins voice begins to crack.

Viv recognising how emotional Martin was quickly changed the subject to the job.

"What about Laura Jacobs? Where is she now?" she asks.

""McKenzie is going to bring them to town by road later. She's fine though," he tells her.

"Great. I'll inform her Mum. Call us when Jack's out of surgery, OK?" By the way, Sam's on her way down. She'll call you when she lands."

"Ok, great. It'll be good to see a friendly face," Martin says as he hangs up.

He continues his vigil outside the OR. Hours pass. Exhaustion catches up on him and he dozes off in the waiting area. A hand on his shoulder wakes him.

"Excuse me. You're with Mr. Malone's, right?"

"What? Oh yea, is he OK?" Martin asks as he jumps up.

"Sorry to wake you, but I thought you'd like to know that he's out of surgery" the doctor tells him.

"And? How did it go? Is he going to be OK?" Martin asks.

"Its early days, too soon to tell really. The surgery went well and we managed to stop the bleeding. Our main concern now is the infection, and of course the spinal injury"

"What spinal injury?" Martin interjects.

"The bullet lodged in one of Agent Malone's vertebrae, about here," the doctor tells him, as he points to his lower back. "The impact may have caused a serious spinal injury. We won't be able to gauge the extent of the injury until the swelling subsides and Agent Malone is conscious. We'll keep him in an induced come for about 48hrs, and see how the infection is reacting to the antibiotics. For now he's in the ICU. We'll monitor him closely. You can see him if you like" the doctor finishes.

Martin hardly heard a word he said after the "serious spinal injury" bit, but follows the doctor to a glass walled room in the ICU.

He stands outside for a minute, hardly able to take in the sight in front of him. Jack is lying there, surrounded by tubes and monitors. He takes a deep breath and walks in. Strangely, the rhythm of the respirator and heart monitor have a calming effect on him. He takes a seat and talks to Jack, not knowing if he can hear him.

Then there's a knock on the glass panel. It's Sheriff McKenzie.

"He looks better already" he says as he enters the room.

"You think?" Martin answers.

"Not really. He's one tough son of a bitch though. To be honest with you kid, I didn't think he'd make it off that mountain" the sheriff admits.

"Me neither. He's not out of the woods yet. The infection's bad and they think the bullet may have caused spinal damage"

There's an awkward silence.

"Look, Sheriff, I never thanked you for what you did. If it wasn't for you…."

"Anyone would have done the same. Sorry I can't stay, lots of paper work to do. I'll call by and see how he's doing tomorrow." McKenzie says as he leaves the room.

"Thanks" is all Martin says.

Martin decides to call Vivienne again and update the rest of the team on Jack's condition.

"Hi Viv, its me. He's out of surgery, he's still in a critical condition in the ICU. He's got some sort of blood infection" Martin tells her.

"That can be treated, Martin. He's gonna pull through, I know he is" Viv tries to console the young agent. Martin stays silent on the other end of the phone.

"Martin, what is it?" Viv senses there's more.

"He's got…They think he may have spinal damage. The bullet lodged in his back and they don't know yet how bad the damage is" Martin tells her.

"Oh no. How is he ever gonna deal with that? It's just dawned on me that his family haven't even been told about this. I guess I should contact Maria and the girls and let them know what's happened. Did Sam get there yet?" Viv enquires.

"Not yet. I've had my phone switched off though. Can't leave it on in the ICU. I'll call back later OK?" Martin hangs up.

He heads back towards the ICU. He sees Samantha at the Nurses station.

"Sam" he calls out.

"I've been trying to call you," she answers.

"Sorry, have to keep my phone switched off up here." he tells her.

"How is he?" she asks.

"Not great. He's in here" Martin leads her to the room where Jack lies.

Samantha stops at the door, almost afraid of what she'll see. She takes a deep breath and enters.

"They have him in a drug induced coma. Not really sure why. The doctors said they'll keep him like that for at least 48hrs." Martin tells her.

There's silence as they both look at Jack. Martin breaks the silence.

"There's something else. The bullet caused some spinal damage. They're not sure how bad yet though"

"What? You mean he's paralysed?" Sam asks in shock.

"I don't know, do I? They can do any tests until he's conscious. That's all I know" Martin answers testily.

"God, I hope they're wrong. He'll never deal with this" Sam tells him.

"I know. I can't imagine" Martin says, as he rubs the back of his neck.

"You look exhausted," Sam notices. "Look, I'm checked into the Mountain View Motel, near the sheriff's office."

She hands Martin the key. "Why don't you go and have a shower and get a few hours sleep. If there's any change I'll call you" she promises.

"OK. Thanks" he says as he takes the key. "I'll be back in a few hours".

Martin leaves the hospital and manages to stop a cab. The weather hasn't gotten much better. He's glad to see the motel sign in the distance. Martin gets out of the taxi and leans in to tip the driver. He glances at the motel trying to work out which way Room 17 is. He figures it out and opens the door. The room is sparse but he couldn't care less. He just heads for the bed. He takes off his coat and shoes and just crashes on the bed. It isn't very long until he's in a deep sleep.

Back at the hospital, Sam settles in the chair in Jack's I.C.U. room. Nursing staff come in and out throughout the night. The only sound that breaks the silence is the regular hissing of the ventilator. Sam watches Jack's chest rise and fall in time with the ventilator. Her mind drifts to the times she shared with him, intimate times, special times. It was just one of those things. It sounds like a cliché, but it just happened. They both were at a time in their lives when they needed some comfort. They both knew it shouldn't have happened, but it did. It was Jack who eventually called a halt to it. Sam was devastated but she knew he was right, she didn't make a big deal, even though she was hurt. But she knew, as well as he did, that if it got out, both their careers would be ruined. And while they both still had feelings for one and other, they resisted temptation and never allowed themselves to be in that position since.

But seeing him lying there, she realised how much she still loved him. She just wanted to hold him. She took his hand and spoke to him, comforted him. She knew he probably couldn't even hear her, but it made her feel better. She rested her head on his arm. It was there she fell asleep.

She was woken by nursing staff coming in, in the early morning. It was just gone 6am. It had been an uneventful night. Jack was doing OK.

"The cafeteria's open now, if you'd like to get some breakfast," suggested the young nurse.

"Thanks" Sam answered, as she straightened up her hair. "Sounds good".

She found the cafeteria and ate some toast and drank coffee. By the time she returned to Jack's room, Martin was back, looking refreshed after a nights sleep and a shower and shave.

"Any change?" he asked her.

Sam shakes her head. "Still the same. The doctor will be around later. Did you get some sleep?" she asks him.

"I crashed out as soon as my head hit the pillow" he replied. "You go and get some rest. I'll sit with him for a while if you like".

"I probably should. I have to pick up Laura Jacobs at 11am. I'm supposed to accompany her and the social worker back to New York on the afternoon flight" Sam informs him.

"Right, I didn't know that," says Martin, disappointed that she was leaving.

"Do you want Danny or Viv to come down, keep you company?" Sam asks.

"If they want. I'm happy to stay" Martin answers.

"I'll call HQ. First, I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll call by before I leave," she promises as her gaze lingers on her wounded boss.

"He'll be OK, you know" Martin tells her. He sees the concern in her eyes.

"I know," she answers as she quickly snaps out of it.

---------------------------

Martin spends almost the whole day by Jack's bedside. Sam had called in earlier as promised, to say goodbye. McKenzie also called in that afternoon just to see how Jack was doing.

The doctors carry out their rounds and they seem happy with Jacks progress. They tell him that he's showing signs of improvement. That news helps ease Martins anxiety.

Later that evening, he calls Danny back at the office and updates him on Jacks condition. Danny tells him that Vivienne is catching a late flight and should be landing later that same night. Martin is glad to hear this, because he feels out on a limb, dealing with this on his own.

------------------------------

Vivienne gets to the hospital some time after 10pm. Martin chats to her and tells her that the doctors have reduced Jack's medication and that he should start to regain consciousness by morning. Vivienne tells Martin to head back to the motel and to get some rest. She promises to be there when Jack wakes. She spends the night dozing and watching late night TV.

The hospital comes to life at 6am as activity increases in the hallways outside Jacks room. Vivienne goes out to the vending machine at reception and buys a coffee and a chocolate bar and takes it back to the room. She's about to settle in when she notices Jack's eyes start to flicker. She sits up and puts her hand on his. It takes a couple of minutes before these two brown eyes are wide open.

"Jack, its OK Jack. You're in hospital but you're going to be OK" she tells him, not even sure if its registering with him. He squeezes her hand and he starts to relax.

His eyes begin to focus and he looks at her.

"You've been through a lot Jack. Just take it easy. I'll tell the doctor you're awake" Viv says as she leaves the room for a moment.

When she comes back, she's accompanied by one of the nurses who checks the monitors and check his obs.

"Welcome back, Agent Malone" she says to him. "Are you in any pain?" she asks.

Jack shakes his head weakly.

"Good. The doctor will be around shortly. I've paged him. You just rest and I'll be back in a while" she smiles.

Jack struggles to keep his eyes open.

"You heard the girl Jack. Rest. I'll be here when you wake" Viv tells him.

Jack closes his eyes and drifts off again.

Viv takes the opportunity to call Martin and let him know. He says he'll be right over.

When she returns to the room she's met by Dr. Morris, the surgeon who operated on Jack.

"Did they tell you he regained consciousness?" Viv asks.

"Yes, I was just going to examine him" the doctor replies.

Jack is still asleep when they enter.

"Jack, can you open your eyes for me? Jack?" the doctor tries to wake him.

Jacks eyes open slowly. He focuses on the person in the white coat. He's obviously still groggy from the medication.

"I'm Dr. Morris. I operated on you when you were brought in. I need to examine your wound. Is that OK?"

"Sure" Jack manages in reply.

The doctor pulls back the sheets and gently removes the gauze. Viv turns away. She's not very good with blood.

"That looks like it's healing nicely. Still some evidence of infection, but the antibiotics are obviously dealing with it. The nurses tell me you're not in any pain. None at all?" Dr. Morris asks.

"No. I'm OK" Jack replies.

"Good. I need to carry out another test Jack. When you were shot, Jack, the bullet lodged in your lower vertebrae," the doctor informs him as he moves towards the foot of the bed. He takes the sheet from Jacks feet.

"You tell me if you feel anything, OK?" the doctor says as he runs his pen along the sole of his foot. There's no reaction. He looks at Viv. He takes out a small needle and pricks Jack's other foot. Nothing! He tries further up both legs, still no reaction.

Jack looks over at Vivienne with questioning eyes. She can't look him in the eye.

"OK Jack" the doctor says as he covers up his legs.

"What's wrong?" Jack asks weakly.

"Initial test indicate some degree of spinal damage. The lack of feeling could just be temporary, caused by the swelling and bruising around the area. We'll know more when we carry out more detailed tests" the doctor explains.

"I'm paralysed?" Jack asks, disbelievingly.

"I'm sorry, we can't be sure. As I said, we need to carry out more tests. For now, you concentrate on getting well. I'll be back later," the doctor says as he leaves the room.

The doctor's words take a while to sink in. Jack doesn't know how to react. He's too weak to react. He turns his head away and faces the window. He wants to be alone.

Vivienne's not sure what to say to her old friend.

"It'll be OK" she tries to comfort him. In her mind she chastises herself. How dumb is that! What a stupid thing to say….what if it's not OK! What can he be feeling right now? She looks over at him, his gaze is fixed on the window.

"Can I get you anything?" she asks awkwardly.

There's no response. Jack's lost in his thoughts.

"I'll leave you alone for a while. I'll be back in no time," she tells him, glad to be getting out of there, truth be told.

She meets Martin in the corridor. He can see she's upset.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"The doctor just told him about the spinal damage. He's devastated, as you can imagine. He really should have his family around him. I'll try and reach Maria. She should know what's happened" Viv says.

Martin agrees.

"You know he's been seeing Ann Cassidy, from legal affairs? Someone should contact her too. I'm sure he'd like to see her," Martin suggests.

"I didn't realise they were an item. Kept that quiet." Viv answers in surprise. "I'll make the calls, if you try and talk to Jack. See if you can get him to open up"

"He's hardly going to open up to me" Martin replies "but I'll talk to him"

Martin leaves Viv and enters Jack's room. Jacks still facing the window and doesn't even turn to see who's coming in.

"Hi, Jack" How are you feeling?" Martin asks awkwardly. Jack doesn't even flinch.

Martin continues "You sure scared the hell out of me up there. I thought you were going to die"

Jack turns to the young agent "You should have let me" he snaps.

"Jeez, Jack. Don't say that!" Martin retorts.

"My life is over now anyway. What difference would it have made?" Jack rants.

"That's not true Jack. What about your girls? You really want them to go through losing their Dad? I know you're scared, but you have to listen to the doctors. They're the experts. It could just be temporary. Don't give up just yet!"

"You know as well as I do, they'll say what you want to hear" Jack starts to breath heavily and begins to hyperventilate.

"Jack, are you OK?" Martin asks. Realising that he's not he presses the emergency button. Within seconds a nurse runs through the door.

"There's something wrong. He can't breath," Martin tells her.

Quickly the nurse places an oxygen mask over his face.

"Try to breath normally Jack" she says "Slow deep breaths. In …. And out"

Martin can see Jack's frightened eyes over the top of the mask. He's never seen Jack so vulnerable, so scared before. His breathing begins to slow and the panic subsides.

The nurse turns to Martin "He really needs to rest. He's recovering from major surgery, he's still very weak. Come back in a few hours" she advises him as she turns back to Jack. His breathing is returning to normal again.

Martin turns to Jack and tells him he has to go. Jack nods, still holding the mask and concentrating on his breathing.

Martin heads back to the motel, not really sure what else to do. Viv is watching TV when he arrives back. He tells her what happened.

"I knew this would be hard for him" Viv comments. "I spoke with Maria. She won't be coming. Says she's moved on and she wasn't sure how her new boyfriend would react if she goes running back to her ex. You can understand I suppose. Anyway, she said she'd bring the girls to visit him when he gets back to New York".

"That's nice of her," Martin says sarcastically. "What about Agent Cassidy, did you reach her?"

"Yeah. She couldn't believe no one had said anything. She'd been trying to reach him. She was very upset. She's going to try and get a flight tomorrow" Viv tells him.

"Good! Maybe she can help Jack cope" Martin replies.

-----------------

Later that evening Martin and Vivienne head back to the hospital. Jack sleeps a lot and when he does wake, he's very quiet. They both try and talk to him, struggle to make conversation but its mostly one way traffic. Viv talks to him about Maria and the girls but that only makes Jack worry about how they'd cope with Daddy in a wheelchair. Viv looks at Martin and throws her eyes up to heaven. There's no lifting his depression. Eventually, they make their excuses and return to the motel for the night.

Nest morning, the snow is thick on the ground. They head to a local diner and have breakfast. While they're eating, Viv's cell phone rings.

"Johnson" Viv answers "Oh hi Ann. Sure. We're just having breakfast. Take a cab from the airport and we'll meet you at the hospital in an hour".

"That was Ann Cassidy" Viv informs Martin. "She's just landed. I said we'd meet her at the hospital".

"Ok. Have we time to finish breakfast?" Martin asks.

"Sure. Plenty" Viv replies.

When they get to the hospital, Ann is waiting at the I.C.U. reception. She is relieved to see Martin and Viv.

"How is he?" is the first thing she says to them.

"Physically, he's doing better, emotionally I'm not too sure. He was very down last night. I'll just check with the nurse and see what kind of a night he had" Viv answers as she walks towards the nurses station.

Viv has a brief conversation with the duty nurse and returns to Martin and Ann.

"She said he's improving. His temperature is almost back to normal. She did say that they thought he should speak to a counsellor and asked if we'd try and convince him" she tells them.

They walk towards Jacks room. Ann hesitates before they reach the door.

"Would you like to go in alone?" Martin asks.

"If I could, just for a little while" Ann replies.

Ann opens the door and slowly enters the room. Jack lies still in the bed. He looks so pale.

"Jack, are you awake?" she asks quietly.

He turns his head immediately. She can see from his eyes that he's been crying.

"Oh Jack, I'm here now, its going to be OK" she tells him as she puts her arms around him and cradles his head. He breaks down, releasing the emotions that have built up over the last few days. He holds tight to Ann and she tries to console him.

"Its ok, honey. We'll get through this" she tells him.

Eventually, Jack composes himself and apologises to Ann.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you" he tells her.

"Don't be silly. You needed to let it out, I'm just glad I was here. Sorry I wasn't here sooner. They just called me last night. I thought you were ignoring my calls"

"Really? Now why would I do that?" Jack quips.

They continue to talk. Ann reassures him that he won't have to face any of this alone. They sit in silence for a while, Ann still sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking Jacks face. She look up and find that Jack's drifted off to sleep

A short time later, Viv puts her head around the door.

"He's sleeping" Ann whispers.

"Do you want us to stay?" Viv asks.

"I'll stay a while. I'd like to be here when he wakes." Ann replies.

"I have to leave for New York in the morning, family commitments." Viv tells Ann.

"You've been great, both of you." Ann tells her.

"I thinks Martin is planning to stay a while" Viv says as Martin enters the room.

"Yeah, that was the plan. Jack's gonna be here for a while and he doesn't know anyone, so I thought I'd keep him company. It's the least I can do. After all, its my fault he's here" Martin says.

"What are you talking about?" Viv interjects.

"If I hadn't moved him…"Martin begins.

"If you hadn't moved him, he'd be dead right now. From what McKenzie told me, it was you who got Jack through that night, so don't you dare blame yourself. This was an accident…a bloody stupid accident" Viv interrupts angrily.

"You'd better listen to her" Jack speaks up from his bed. "Don't remember much but it sounds like I owe you my life. Thanks kid".

Martin looks at Jack, unable to speak. It's been hard for him too.

"Now, if you don't mind, will you get the hell out. How's a guy supposed to sleep with all this chatter" Jack quips, breaking the tension.

"Sorry boss. We're going. See you later, OK?" Martin says as he goes to leave. Viv

nods and says goodbye.

Jack smiles at Ann "He's a good kid. Gonna make a great agent some day".

Ann sits with Jack for the rest of the day. She leaves for the motel late that night while Jack is sleeping. Vivienne had made a reservation for her earlier in the day.

She was glad to get to rest. It had been a hard day. She knew, however, that there were more hard days to come.

The next morning Vivienne leaves for New York. Ann and Martin spend the day keeping Jack company. Jack was undergoing tests at intervals throughout the day, to try and ascertain the extent of the spinal damage. The swelling had reduced but Jack was still not responding as well as doctors had hoped. That was until a couple of days later.

Jack was sitting up in his bed watching a game on TV when Martin came back from the vending machine carrying a hot cup of coffee. He too turned to see the action on the tv. He tried to place the cup on the tray across Jacks bed but wasn't paying proper attention and managed to spill the contents of the cup over Jacks legs.

"Jesus, Martin" Jack shouts at him as he instinctively moves his legs out of the way.

"Shit, sorry Jack" Martin apologises, and then realises what just happened, "You felt that?" he asks.

"Of course I bloody felt it. Its boiling hot coffee" Jack shouts back at him.

Martin says nothing and looks at Jack, waiting for the realisation to sink in.

"I felt it! I can still feel it!" Jack realises with excitement.

"I'll get you a cool towel" says Martin as he removes the wet bedding from the bed.

"Never mind a cool towel, get me the doctor" he orders.

Ann is returning from the ladies room when she sees the doctor rushing into Jack's room.

"What's wrong?" she asks as she follows the doctor in.

Jack can't contain his excitement. "The coffee burned my legs, Ann. I felt it. I've never been so glad to be burnt".

Ann smiled and gave Jack a hug.

"What does it mean Doctor?" she asks.

"It's a good sign. Restoration of sensation, of any degree of sensation, means that its possible the damage is not a severe as feared" he tells her as he quickly tests the sole of Jacks feet for reflexes. Jack's foot flinches when he does so.

"Good" the doctor comments, "Things are looking up, Mr. Malone, although we should get some gel on those burns though" he smiles.

----------------------

Jack couldn't stop smiling. A great cloud had been lifted. For the rest of the day Jack kept moving his feet and his toes, just checking that they were still working. However, he had to ban Martin from bringing hot drinks into his room.

The next day, doctors told Jack that they had made arrangements to have him transferred to a rehabilitation unit in New York. He was going home. He wasn't sure how to take the news. While it meant the beginning of getting back on his feet again, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face visitors. No doubt his friends and colleagues would want to visit him. He didn't really want anyone seeing him this way. He didn't want to seem ungrateful and mention his anxieties, so he said nothing. The flight back home was to be in less than a week.

A few weeks later he was settled in to St. Michaels' Spinal Care Unit. It has been a difficult few weeks. He endured pain and humiliation. It was hard not being able to be himself, physically strong and confidant. He was frustrated by his dependence on others. However, in the units they treated not only the physical injury but also the psychological one. Eventually, his confidence returned. He was back on his feet again. His recovery was going so well he decided to drop in to FBI Headquarters for a visit.

As he entered the building, he was greeted by smiles and acknowledgements by the people he knew. Aided by a cane he walked through the lobby. He took the elevator to the 12th Floor. He left the elevator, stopped and sighed. HE was home.

"Hey, Jack! What are you doing here?" It was Danny Taylor, cheery and chirpy as ever. "You look good, Jack" he says as he shakes his hand.

"Feelin' good. Just thought I'd come in and say hi." Jack responds.

"Come on. The guys are brainstorming a case. They'll be glad to see you".

"Hey, look who I found wandering the corridor" Danny shouts as they enter the office.

The team turn and smile.

Jack nods to them. It's good to be back.

THE END


End file.
